Carpets of Kazakhstan.

"The salt marsh steppe is poor in greenery. A herd wanders in the distance. A chain of yurts is drawn against the blue sky. On the milky white background of the patterned felt covering the entrance of the nearest yurt there is a spiral-shaped, horn-like, black ornament. A similar landscape of the old nomadic camp is repeated. It must be sought in the very world of ornamental forms of Kazakh pattern creation.”

"Kazakh folk ornament". Editor M. L. Neumann. 1939 Publishing house "Art".

Carpet production in Kazakhstan.

The history of woven carpets goes back thousands of years. Since ancient times, people have decorated their homes with carpets. Simple and hand-woven, they not only served as interior decoration, but also testified to the wealth of the owners, and most importantly, they were a reliable way of protection from dampness and cold.
Carpets were an indispensable attribute of the tribute paid due to their rarity and high cost. The convenience of carpets for insulating any home can hardly be overestimated in our time. In Kazakhstan, industrial production of carpets began in the late 50s of the last century.
The Central State Archive of Almaty stores documents from the Alma-Ata carpet factory.
How it was…
In the city of Alma-Ata back in 1936, six craftswomen were invited from the city of Kzyl-Orda, who taught the art of carpet weaving to 58 people. And in 1938, the cooperative trade artel “Kovrovshchitsa” was organized, uniting artisans and artisans.
The goals and objectives of the artel were regulated by its charter. The artel workshops were located in a one-story building in four rooms. On January 5 of the same year, Chairman of the Board of the “Kovrovshchitsa” artel, Kh.P. Amirov. and commandant of the Almaatastroy trust Kuleshov S.G. drew up an act of acceptance and transfer of the house located on the street. Cemetery No. 51 on the allocated land plot for the construction of the Carpet Factory of the Kovrovshchitsa artel.
In 1959, the artel received a specially built three-story building. According to the resolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan and the Council of Ministers of the Kazakh SSR dated June 25, 1960 “On the reorganization of industrial cooperation,” the “Kovrovshchitsa” artel was renamed the Alma-Ata carpet and weaving factory. And in 1963, the Alma-Ata carpet and weaving factory was named after cosmonaut V.V. Nikolaeva-Tereshkova.
The factory was the only enterprise in Kazakhstan producing carpets and carpet products. The assortment included handmade carpets, double-sheet carpets, rod carpets, continuous pile carpets, jacquard-edged runners, smooth rod runners.
In addition to the production of carpets, the artel was engaged in flax weaving, wool weaving, sewing, knitting, stitching and fabric painting (since 1965, stitching production at the factory was closed because the products were not in demand among the population). There was also a tapestry production.
Drawings of carpet products, the developers of which were mainly B. Iskalieva, M. Nartov, Zh. Baratova, I. Khvostenko, G. Shevchenko, were submitted for consideration by the Art Council under the USSR Ministry of Light Industry.
This fact is interesting. According to the documents of the fund, in 1944 - 1945, the artel “Kovrovshchitsa”, by order of the Central State Museum of the KazSSR, produced 4 tapestries on the themes: “Stalin, Roosevelt, Churchill”, “Victory”, “28 Panfilov’s Men”, “25 Years of the KazSSR”.
The cost of one such tapestry averaged 50,000 rubles (at prices of 1944 - 1945). Unfortunately, handmade carpets have ceased to be produced since 1987. This was due to their high retail price. Despite the fact that production was well-established and the annual output was 6,485.4 thousand rubles (at 1949 prices), “homeworkers” were also involved in production.
In 1972 and 1981, the products of the carpet factory were prize-winners at the VDNKh exhibitions of the USSR. “Brief description of the exhibit: a handmade pile carpet is intended for decorating apartments. The carpet's structure and color meet the aesthetic requirements of a modern interior.
The carpet is made of cotton and pure wool yarn. Manufacturer: carpet factory named after V. Nikolaeva-Tereshkova. The author of the development is the artist Iskalieva B.” The cost of such a carpet was 258 rubles 80 kopecks (at prices of the 70s).
Carpet products from the Alma-Ata carpet factory participated in exhibitions and fairs in the eighties. Ulaanbaatar, Leipzig, New Delhi, Cairo, Damascus, Algeria, Poznan, Izmir, Sydney, as well as in republican and all-Union competitions.
For example, the “Kazakhstan Brand” competition was represented by carpet drawing No. 211 for the production of a jacquard rod carpet measuring 200 x 400 cm. The author of the drawing is artist G.L. Shevchenko. – received royalties.
In the “Kovrovshchitsa” artel, rationalization proposals of workers were introduced, the authors of which were encouraged with monetary rewards. Interestingly, the procedure for granting vacations is noticeably different from today.
Workers and employees were granted leave of at least 15 working days with a gradual transition to a longer duration. Subsequently, days were added for length of service. And workers and employees under 18 years of age were given leave of one calendar month.
In 1992, the Almaty Carpet Factory was transformed into a joint stock company (hereinafter referred to as JSC) Almaty Kilem. The JSC's production also included the manufacture of carpets. Unfortunately, since 2007 the joint-stock company has ceased to engage in weaving production.

Authority  and photos by:
Central State Archives of Almaty.
https://web.archive.org/web/20130905064846/http://cgaa.kz/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=374%3A2013-02-13-03-16-00&catid=9%3A2011-04-09-06-52-24&Itemid=6&lang=kz